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United States Patent | 5,042,164 |
Eppinger | August 27, 1991 |
A sensing device and an analyis process which determines the shape of the periphery of a cross-section of a body as it deforms or is defomed in time. The sensing device is a band attached to the surface of the deformable body along the external peripheral path of the desired geometrical cross-section; the band has sensing devices on it, each of which produces an output proportional to local curvature as the band is deformed. The analysis process integrates the outputs from the sensing devices to calculate the shape of the periphery of a cross-section of the body to which the band is attached.
Inventors: | Eppinger; Rolf M. (Silver Spring, MD) |
Assignee: | The Government of the United States as represented by the Secretary of (Washington, DC) |
Appl. No.: | 455056 |
Filed: | December 22, 1989 |
Current U.S. Class: | 33/561.2; 33/DIG.13; 73/12.01; 73/774 |
Intern'l Class: | G01B 007/16; G01B 007/28 |
Field of Search: | 33/561.1,561.2,561.3,555.1,555.4,DIG. 13,504,512,514.2,542,543 73/12,866.4,760,774,775 434/274 324/609,610,699 |
3820529 | Jun., 1974 | Gause et al. | 73/774. |
3908279 | Sep., 1975 | Yoslow et al. | 33/558. |
4573359 | Mar., 1986 | Carstensen | 33/561. |
4817625 | Apr., 1989 | Miles | 33/561. |
4910877 | Mar., 1990 | Sokol | 33/DIG. |
Foreign Patent Documents | |||
2803520 | Nov., 1978 | DE | 33/DIG. |
720325 | Dec., 1954 | GB | 33/DIG. |